Police perception of their assault victimization risk and advice to cope with the risk

Abstract

Policing can be a dangerous profession. While the rate of intentional violence against the police has declined slightly over the past few decades, police rhetoric seems to communicate the opposite. Given this messaging, do officers accurately assess their own risk of violence? To address this question, interviews were conducted with 184 police officers in Pennsylvania. Participants were asked about (1) the risk of assault on police officers compared to 5 years ago; (2) the risk of assault on officers in their own department compared to other police departments; and (3) how they would advise others to cope with this risk. Bivariate analyses indicate that respondents thought police are more likely to be assaulted now compared to 5 years ago. Other findings and implications of these results will be discussed, along with officer advice on how to cope with the risk of policing.